Martial Arts for Children – Basic Ninja Program (Ages 5-6)

The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts Basic Ninja Program is a martial arts curriculum specifically designed for children ages 5 to 6. Each child will experience training that targets the skills that they are currently developing; skills such as coordination, memorization, focus, control, motor skills, teamwork, balance, general fitness, behavior and character development. These skills have been broken down into fun, yet focused, age-specific and safe exercises, games, activities, and drills that compliment their stage of development.

These skills reinforce good discipline, self-confidence, and maintaining a positive attitude. At this stage in a child’s life… Technical martial arts training is very limited when it comes to moves and hardcore techniques; we reserve that portion of development for the older children who have set a clear foundation of what we consider the preliminary requirements to quality martial arts training.

With our Basic Ninja Certified role-model instructors, your child’s first exposure to martial arts training at The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts will generate positive mental and physical results in a safe and friendly environment where boredom is non-existent! Let’s take a look at the Benefits, Major Skill-sets and Curriculum that your child will be focused on …

The Benefits of our Basic Ninja Program – Martial Arts of for Kids Ages 5-6

Basic Self-Defense – The instructors at The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts have trained for many years to make sure everything we teach is reality based. We’ve trained under some of the best martial artists in the world and are dedicated to staying on the cutting-edge of REALISTIC martial arts training – for ourselves and for your children! With that said… Your child is still in the developmental stage of their life and will focus only on the basics of our Martial Arts Curriculum. Basic Techniques include: Proper exercise form, punching, kicking, blocking and evasion techniques.

Focusing and Listening – At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we know Focus plays a key role in the mindset of children who have limited attention spans at this stage in their life. Our Program will build their attention span… teaching your child to focus on the task at hand while improving their listening and reaction skills at the same time. As a result, your child will excel in physical activity, improve their ability to stay focused, and become an astute listener in the dojo, at home, and in school.

Teamwork and Positive Social Interaction – Teamwork is necessary for any young child to develop. It is at this stage in their life that they develop an understanding and a confidence in their ability to work with others. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, our activity based curriculum and teamwork oriented environment, develops character and teaches your child that the more we work together in the dojo, at home and at school…the more we get accomplished.

Self-Control and Good Decision Making – Self-control refers to the training that one gives one’s self to accomplish a certain task or to adopt a particular pattern of behavior, even though one is unfocused or would rather be doing something else. For example, when your child has learned to listen to mom and dad, pay attention in class while listening to the teacher instead of talking to his friend next to him, he has demonstrated the ability to self-control… while making the good decision to do so. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, as both parents and instructors, We work on this skill set every single day.

Balance and Posture – For many 3-6 year olds, one of the skillsets that is often overlooked, but needs constant work and attention is balance and posture… basic skills necessary for almost any activity. Poor posture leads to cramped organs, improper breathing, and a whole host of other unhealthy bodily expressions. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, Our Basic Ninja Program helps to build strong balance, healthy postures and balanced movement through the use of age appropriate forms and drills – often presented as a engaging game, to help developing students improve these fundamental skills.

Memorization and Retention – At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we utilize fun and effective memory and retention drills for both Martial Arts and real world applications. Aside from Martial Arts etiquette, skill-based and technique driven retention, our memorization requirements include parents home and cell numbers, emergency contact numbers and residential address retention. You’ll find in many cases, our students are pre-prepared and learn these life skills prior to being introduced to them at their school. Our program improves memorization skills essential for well rounded student development and school academics in the near future.

Self-Discipline and Responsibility – Our instructors are masters at creating a vision for your child that self-discipline is fun and rewarding. We instill this vision through interactive and teamwork oriented games, drills and real world activities. Our age specific Martial Arts training techniques are used in correlation with a child’s household chore responsibility, their awareness to clean up after themselves and homework assignments accomplished in a timely manner. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, your child will begin to improve their ability to initiate accountability, follow directions and take pride in doing the right thing.

Physical Fitness and Healthy Living – It is important for children to understand the importance of being healthy and physically fit at an early age. Being physically fit is a necessity for any martial artist but more importantly… The sooner we enforce this concept, the healthier your child will be now… and the less difficult it will be to stay physically fit as they grow older. At the Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we stress the importance of good eating while physical fitness activities are always fun and rewarding.

Coordination and Motor Skills – Children with strong bodies, fine tuned motor skills and physical coordination developed through Our Basic Ninja Program will have improved: general health, sports performance, as well as other physical activities such as dancing or bike riding. Our Coordination and Motor Skills Training will develop your child’s cardiovascular system, their muscular strength, and will create a general kind of body awareness which can only be gained from a whole body method of Martial Arts training. At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, Your child will be more coordinated, less susceptible to injuries, and be much more aware of their body and how to use it correctly.

Self-Esteem and Confidence Building – Our Youth Program improves a children’s self esteem through consistent positive verbal reinforcement and our Life Skill Stripe reward system. When kids work to earn their next belt level, not only are they learning basic world-class self-defense, they are building self-esteem and learning to feel good about themselves. Plus, unlike most other martial arts programs, our Basic Ninja program has no fees for testing or advancement. We believe a student must earn their next level, not pay for it!

Stranger Awareness and Personal Safety – At The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts, we talk with our Basic Ninja about home safety, traffic, fire safety, anti-drug, dangerous substances and strangers in an age-appropriate way. We can’t expect a three-year old to understand the subtleties of stranger awareness, but at this particular age, it is enough to teach them to stay by a parents side when out… and not to wander off. As your child gets older they will learn the difference between meeting someone new when Mom or Dad is present, and being approached by a stranger when they are alone.

Parental Concerns

A common parental concern is that martial arts will encourage violence and aggression. The opposite is actually true. Through consistent, fun and focused training, children will quickly discover an inner confidence and strength which enables them to move beyond the need to prove themselves physically. As your child gets older, patience and tolerance replace anger and frustration, giving your child the ability to make good decisions.

At The Northshore Academy of Martial arts, our Basic Ninja training program takes your child’s energy and directs it in a positive and constructive manner tempered with fun, discipline and control. Parents are excited to see the self-discipline, focus control and increased concentration carry over into everyday life.

The physical, mental, emotional and developmental benefits provided by The Northshore Academy of Martial arts is unparalleled. No other single activity will provide your child with all the benefits that our Basic Ninja Program has to offer. It’s no wonder that so many doctors and educators recommend Martial Arts training for children of all ages.

Your Role as a parent

As you can see, the Basic Ninja curriculum is educational and also fun! Your child will learn the family values and life skills needed to live a life of focus and discipline – always striving to be the best. Although The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts creates an atmosphere of Leadership and Success… We can’t do it without our parents help. Here are some important tips that will help you and your child get the most out of our Little Dragon’s program:

Make sure your child attends class regularly – Children adjust to consistency. If attending class becomes an option and not a priority, they will not adjust well. If your child is going to miss a class for any reason, please contact us and we can make further arrangements. Your child’s progress is of utmost importance.

Watch your child participate often – Your child wants to make you proud. The best way they can show you how well they are doing…is for you to see it for yourself.

Monitor your child’s progress – Your Basic Ninja should earn a skill stripe every week. If your child does not receive a stripe, your child may have a challenge with that particular skill and will need just a little extra practice at home.

Keep an updated calendar on the skills covered in each class – If your child misses a class or falls behind, they will need to make up the skills they missed.

Keep track of when your child’s next belt promotion is scheduled to take place – This way you can help prepare your child for their next performance. You should expect your child to belt test approximately every eight weeks.

Invite family, friends, and teachers to your child’s belt promotion – This is a big event for your child and it only comes around every eight weeks! This might not seem like a very long time… But for your child.. eight weeks is a lifetime. Make it an event they’ll never forget and your child’s confidence will grow!

Belt Progression – Our Life Skill Stripe Achievement Reward System

Our Skill Strip Reward System is broken down into 8 Core Life Skills. Each Life Skill correlates with a particular Skill Stripe. At the end of each week, the students who can demonstrate the skills covered in that weeks class receive a special skill stripe. Our Skill Stripe Achievement Reward System is important incentive for your child to continue learning, growing and achieving more. Once your child has earned all 8 life skill stripes, they will move up to the next belt stripe level. Unlike Our Youth Program, Basic Ninja Program always maintain a white belt status with Rank Stripes as the main form of progression. Here is a visual of our Stripe Ranking System:

Lake County’s Premiere Martial Arts Academy for Pre-Schoolers

The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts is Lake County’s Premier Martial Arts Academy with an award winning character development program. Our students are taught in a safe, friendly and positive environment with only Rank Certified instructors. The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts is:

The only Lake County, Illinois school certified by the Legendary Dan Inosanto in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and Filipino Martial Arts

Member of The International Law Enforcement Educator & Trainers Association

The Midwest Representative for Atillo Balintawak

The Midwest Representative for Ron Balicki’s Martial Arts Research Systems

Certified by Rick Faye of the Minnesota Kali Group

A Member of the National Association for Professional Martial Artists

A Member of the Martial Arts Industry Association

A Member of the Libertyville Chamber of Commerce

Get your son or daughter started in Basic Ninja Program Today!

We encourage you to take advantage of our family discounts and free trial period…Try us out while meeting friendly staff, parents and students. Click here to get started with your free week trial period. If you have any questions about our programs, Please feel free to contact us at 847.573.1672. Thank you for your interest in The Northshore Academy of Martial Arts… We look forward to hearing from you!